Refrigerator car construction



- V. E. SISSON 1 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Feb. 23, 1943 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept l mh 7. mm

Feb. 23, 1943. v. E. s|ss0N REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTiON Filed Sept. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 23, 1943 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Vinton E. Sisson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Delaware Application September 10, 1941, Serial No. 410,253

8 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The usual features of such a car are an insulated structure and a refrigerating means for use in warm Weather and preferably a heating means for use in cold weather.

The invention relates partcularly to refrigerator cars of the overhead bunker type. Cars of this type have the refrigerant containers disposed immediately below the roof and are commonly provided with drip pans below the containers to form refrigerant compartments below the roof and adjacent the side walls of the car. It is also common to provide vertical flues associated with the side walls and extending to near the floor. These flues serve as passages for the flow of refrigerated air from the refrigerant compartment to below the floor racks of the car so that such air may circulate upwardly through the lading. The flues also serve to drain off melted refrigerant when a foraminous or semi-foraminous container is used or condensation from the container when liquid retaining tanks are used. Such melted refrigerant further cools the circulating air by contact therewith and also contributes to the insulating qualities of the car walls.

Each side wall of a refrigerator car is preferably provided with a door through which lading is transported into the car. These doors must be large enough to permit passage of a truck there-through and are usually about four feet Wide. The refrigeration of the car is dependent upon cold air circulating downwardly through the above mentioned flues which are associated with the side walls of the car.

To interrupt a flue for a distance of four feet would obviously lessen the refrigerating efficiency, particularly since the interruption would be at the doorway where more refrigeration is desirable to overcome the effect of insulation deficiencies at the door joints.

The problem of maintaining adequate refrigeration adjacent the doorway has been solved by providing ducts on the doors. When the doors are closed, the ducts are aligned with certain of the side wall flues to form continuous passages for the flow of air from the refrigerant compartment to the lower part of the car. In other words, the operation is as if th doors were non-existent.

The flow of liquid through the door ducts is undesirable for two reasons. In the first place, when the doors are open such liquid would fall upon persons and lading entering or leaving the car with obvious disadvantageous results. In the second place, when the doors are closed, it is practically impossible to maintain a watertight relation between the aforesaid flues and ducts; the contents of the car are therefore liable to damage by such liquid.

My present invention pertains particularly to cars in which at least the lower parts of the refrigerant containers are imperforate so as to retain a quantity of liquid. A commonly used container of this type is substantially imperforate except for a few overflow apertures spaced above the bottom. The container is thus adapted to hold a limited quantity of a low temperature mixture of ice and brine which cools air coming in contact with the bottom of the container. Such air is further cooled by intimate contact with liquid which has escaped through the aforesaid apertures.

The object of my invention is to arrange the overflow means in such a Way as to prevent the flow of liquid through the door ducts and to direct such liquid through the side wall flues, preferably adjacent the doorways. The means which I disclose for carrying out my invention direct the liquid into the desired paths without interfering with the circulation of cold air.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying draw- .ings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car embodying my invention, the left side being on line lL-IL of Fig. 2 and the right side on line IR|R of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

The general parts of the refrigerator car shown are insulated roof 2; side walls 3; floor 4; hatches 5; refrigerant containers 6; side wall flues 1; foraminous floor rack 8 and space 9 between rack 8 and floor 4. Refrigerant containers 6 are positioned directly below the roof 2 and preferably adjacent each side wall 3. Drip pans IZ are provided below the containers 6 and spaced apart partitions I4 are secured in upstanding positions at the edges of the drip pans I2. The drip pans l2 and partitions l4 cooperate with the roof 2 and side walls 3 to form enclosing structures ll around the containers 6, air inlet openings I5 being provided by spacing the partitions 14 from the roof 2. Air discharge openings I! which lead to the side wall flues are provided for flow of cold air to such flues. Doorways are provided through the side walls 3 (se left side of Fig. 1) and a pair of doors 2!] are adapted to close each doorway, the doors 20 having associated therewith ducts 2| which are aligned with the flues la when the doors 20 are closed.

Air circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment I8 is warmed by contact with the lading and rises through the duct l6 between the partitions M to enter the enclosing structures ll. through the air inlet openings I5. The air is cooled by contact with the refrigerant containers B and falls by reason of its greater density through the discharge openings ll. Adjacent in alignment with the flues i.

the doorways, the cold air flows through the flues 1a above the doorways and through the door ducts 2! to the space 9. Remote from the doorway, the cold air flows through the flues l to the space 9; Such cold air then rises through the rack 8 to the lading compartment I8. I

The refrigerant containers 6 disclosed are substantially imperforate except as hereinafter described and except for openings 24 in the tops 25" aligned with the hatches for loading refrigere ant into the containers. Inverted channel shaped baffles 21 reinforce the containers and retardthe surging of refrigerant. Longitudinally extending angle members 28 secured to the sides 7 side 38 to form a. trough 42 arranged to receive liquid which overflows through the apertures 35. Ihe trough 42 has a length somewhat greater than the width of the doorway and the open 'ends of the trough 42 discharge the contents of the trough onto the drip pan 92 substantially The bottom Q 1 of the trough 5-2 is inclined'downwardly, preferably toward both ends thereof, to facilitate discharge of the liquid. Ups'tanding ridges, such as the angles i5, are'pre'ferably secured upon t'he upper surface of the drip pan 2 to direct the liquid to the flues l and to prevent the entrance of such liquid into the flues la and ducts-'21.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A refrigerant container for use in a ref-rigerator car comprising a bottom, spaced apart side walls and spaced apart end walls, apertures in one of said side walls remote from said end walls and a trough secured to said container exteriorly thereof and arranged to receive liquid overfiowed through said apertures, said trough being devoid of discharge openings except for open endsremote from said apertures.

2. A refrigerant container for use in a refrigerator car comprising a bottom, spaced apart side walls and spaced apart end walls, apertures in one of said side walls remote from saidend Walls and a trough secured to said container exteriorly thereof and arranged to receive liquid overflowed through said apertures, said trough being devoid of discharge openings except for open ends remote from said apertures and being inclined downwardly toward said open ends.

3. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a plurality of fiues associated with said wall below said container, a drip pan spaced below ciated with a wall of said container extending without discharge opening for at least the width of one of said flues, overflow apertures leading from the interior of the container to said trough, and outlet means in saidtrough arranged to discharge liquid into another of said flues.

4. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a doorway through said wall below said container, a flue associated with said wall adjacent at least one side of said doorway, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage communicating with the upper part of said flue, a trough associated with a wall of said container extending without discharge opening for at least the width of said doorway, overflow apertures leading from the interior of the container to said trough, and outlet means in said trough arranged to discharge liquid into said flue.

5. In a refrigerator car having a wan, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a doorway through said wall below said cone tainer, a flue associated with said wall adjacent at least one side of said doorway, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage communicating with the upper part of s'aid'fiue, ridges on the upper side of said drip pan spaced apart to form a channel leading to said flue, a trough associated with a wall of said container extending without discharge opening for at least the width of said doorway, overflow apertures leading from the interior of the container to said trough, and outlet means in said trough arranged to discharge liquid into said channel.

6. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrigerant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a plurality of fines associated with said wall 'elow said container, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage communicating With the upper parts of said flues, ridges on the upper side of said drip pan spaced apart to form a channel leading tocertain of said flues, atrough associated with a wallet said container extending Without dischar e opening for at least the width of another of said c es, overflow apertures leading from the interior of the container to said trough, and outlet means in said trough arranged to discharge liquid into said channel.

7. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a refrig-.

erant container adjacent the upper part of said wall, a plurality of fiues associated with said wall below said container, a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage communicating with the upper parts of said fiues, a trough associated with a wall of said container extending without discharge opening for at least the below said container,- a drip pan spaced below said container to form a passage communicating with the upper parts of said flue's, a trough associated with a wall of said container extend-ing without discharge opening for at least the width of one of said flues, overflow apertures leading from the interior of the container to said trough,

and outlet means in said trough arranged to discharge liquid into another of said flue's, said trou'gh being inclined downwardly toward said outlet means.

* VINTON E. srssON. 

